The World I Know
by Starburst.Shoes
Summary: It is said that 2 children are sold into slavery every minute. Thousands are forgotten, but what happens to those that are saved? How do they survive, after experiencing the world they know.
1. Chapter 1

**The World I Know**

A/N So….um, Hi! This is my first fan-fic. I have been reading Twilight Fanfics for a few years now, and I'm finally finding the balls to post myself. So before we go further, a few things…

I don't own Twilight. None of it. That's all Stephanie Meyer. I wish I owned PFach though. Any similarity to actual events or people is strictly coincidental.

This story is dark, filled with angst and not a happy story. Not to say there won't be some sort of HEA…but that is depending on your point of view ;) This is a story about human trafficking and sex slavery. Specifically child slavery. I was to do this subject justice. I'll try not to be too graphic, but there will be some horrible things that happen. Hence the M rating. Please be warned.

**Prologue**

Katherine Marie Mason loved ice cream.

As would any normal ten year old. She loved it so much, that when vacationing in Italy with her mother, she nearly screamed when she saw her first gelato café. Kate, as her parents called her, begged her mother to buy her some. She had always wanted to try the ice cream of Italy. And so, on a warm day in September, young Mrs. Mason took her one and only daughter into a café in Italy.

That decision would cause the future Mrs. Mason to shed tears any time she saw a carton of ice cream.

` It is said that two children are sold into slavery every minute. These children are forced into pedophile rings that span the globe. They are photographed, abused, used and lied to. As they grow older and "age out", they are either moved to alternative sex rings, or murdered. They never see their families again. They miss their childhood. They never again feel the healing touch of their mother, or a kiss from their father. Their families may search for them, if they didn't sell them into slavery to begin with. But many of these children are never heard from again. After time, their stories are forgotten. Their names but a whisper on the lips of those that still think of them.

And then there are those that are saved. Like that of a 13 year old boy from India, found in Thailand, 7 years after his parents sold him in order to pay a debt. He had been raped and beaten and used for labor.

A child from Armenia, rescued in France from a prostitution ring. She was only 5 years old.

And a young girl taken from café in Italy. Stolen from her mother in broad daylight, by a vile group of men. She was drugged and taken to Austria. She spent the next 2 years being passed along to various "clients" around Eastern Europe. She was sexually assaulted, forced into sex acts, while either filmed or photographed. And just before the girl turned 12, before she could "age out", she was sold again. And shipped…to the United States.

It is Ironic that, in a country known as The Land of the Free, this girl experienced the worst of her captive hell. Powerful business men, politicians, your next door neighbors. People you would never think twice about, buying a human being. A child. A slave. She had become nothing more than a slave. She stopped smiling. Stopped crying. Her tears had run dry. There was nothing left anymore. She was empty. She no longer prayed to a God that wouldn't listen.

And almost 10 years to the day that she had been stolen from her mother's embrace, God finally answered her prayer. In a small town in Washington, local law enforement raided a home finding drugs, stolen money, and a criminal named James Devaraux. Mr. Devaraux, hailing from New Orleans, was in the business of buying and selling. Drugs and people. For in the basement of that house, as a young Officer Black discovered, there was a young women of almost 20. Chained to a wall in a dungeon-like room. Her clothing ripped and soiled. She sat atop a mattress, which was covered in blood. The room was empty, minus a few clothes scattered about, and what appeared to be a stuffed dog in the corner. This was what her life consisted of. This was the world she knew.

**A/N**

*peeks out from corner* So, are you still with me? lol.

I want to thank the amazing Kharrizmatik for giving me the idea for this story. If you are living under a rock and don't know who she is, she is the author of the one and only Emancipation Proclamation. That story owns me, and the work she does to help stop Human Trafficking is amazing. Khar, I bow to you.

If you feel so inclined, I'd love to hear what you think so far. The first chapter is almost done, and should be up in a day or two. Any thoughts or critiques I will gladly take. Thanks for reading.

Oh! And I don't have a Beta, so any mistakes are mine. (or my husbands, I did have him read this first lol)

Much Love, Star


	2. Chapter 2

The World I Know

Chapter 1

"Miss Bella! Look! Look!"

Isabella Swan glanced to her left to see a beautiful, five year old boy holding up a picture.

"Look at my drawing! Isn't it great!"

"It's wonderful, Anthony." Bella said, kneeling down to look the boy in the eye. "Why don't you tell me about it."

"It's me and Daddy. We're fishing, see!" The boy named Anthony said excitedly, as he pointed to some colorful blobs on the paper.

Bella smiled. "I see. Look at that huge fish you caught!"

"Yeah! His name is Frank. Daddy says we can go fishin 'gan soon!" Anthony then ran back to his table in order to finish his masterpiece. Isabella, or Bella as she was known to most, watched him silently for a moment before returning to her desk to make some notes. For the last three years, Bella had worked for the Naperville Children's Crisis Center. Having an experience with art therapy herself, she knew the benefits it could have for kids like Anthony. Only 5 months ago he had stumbled upon his mother at home, who had overdosed on a deadly combination of pain and sleeping pills. It took almost a month to get him to speak again, but while he was silent, Isabella helped him speak with pictures. Drawings and paintings, helping people see what he wanted to say. What he needed to say. And now, that beautiful five year old boy was starting to smile again. Bella praised Anthony for his work, and told him to get ready for his dad to pick him up.

At ten after five, on a warm September day, Bella made her way to her car. As she unlocked the door and climbed in, her cell phone began to ring. Already knowing who it was, Bella lifted the phone to her ear with a heavy sigh.

"Hey." She said into the receiver, as she pulled away from the Center.

"Hey yourself. How was the land of finger paints today?" came the gentle voice on the other end. Normally cold and icy, this was a tone that was usually reserved for Bella. Bella laughed lightly as she looked at her hands, which were indeed covered with finger paint.

"It was really good. Gina actually left the black paint alone and used some color, and Anthony didn't cry at the mention of his mom for once. Then there's Spencer, and I think I'm just lucky the paint landed on the canvas instead of my head."

The voice on the other end chuckled slightly, before a nervous silence took over. Bella kept the phone to her ear, as she pulled into her apartment complex. Finally the voice on the other end spoke.

"How are you B? Really."

Bella paused briefly on her way to her door, taking a breath and closing her eyes.

"I'm…okay. I haven't had a flashback in almost a week." she replied, a tinge of pride in her voice. She knew though, that with tomorrow being what it was, that the week long streak was sure to end soon.

She heard her friend breath for a few seconds before her voice came through again. "I'm really glad sweets. But, with tomorrow… I can come down…" Bella interrupted before the sentence could be finished.

"I'll be fine, Ro. Really. I need to do this on my own. Thank you though. You know I appreciate everything, right?" Bella's voice broke slightly at the end, and she closed her eyes as she made her way into her apartment. Ro was one of the first people she trusted after…

"Alright B. I get it, I do. But remember, if you need ANYTHING, you call me. Got it?"

Bella smiled hearing her friend's voice, reminding herself how lucky she was to have Ro.

"I know. Thanks."

The two ended their call, and Bella began preparing a small dinner for herself. She had been so preoccupied with Ro, that she finally acknowledged the hyper ball of fur below her.

"Hey Jake. How's my good boy today?" She rubbed the small Husky behind the ear, which Jake returned with a wet, slobbery kiss. Jake had been the runt of the litter. Smaller than most Huskies, he was the last to be adopted from the animal shelter. Bella will never forget the look of sadness in the pups eyes when she first saw him. She had known that look well. She knew they would be perfect for each other.

After a spaghetti dinner, and a few television shows, Bella began to get ready for bed. After a stop in the kitchen, she walked down the hall to her bedroom. That was when the anxiety began to set in. Her mind began to wander. Back to _that_ day. Back to…_him_.

She gently sat on her bed, and stared at her closet. Not so much the closet itself, but what was in the closet. Amongst the clothing, shoes and various hats, was a toy. A stuffed dog. Worn from years of…from years. It's once bright fur now dull and lifeless. Just like how she had felt. How she still felt, if she was being honest. But it wasn't the bad memories that she tied to the dog. It was memories to _him_.

As Isabella Swan sat and stared at the stuffed dog, silent tears ran down her cheeks. Without even wiping them away, she reached for the container of Ben and Jerry's she had grabbed from the kitchen, and opened it.

After all these years, she still loved ice cream.

A/N

So, a few answers, a few more questions? Thank you to any that are reading this. And thank you to KristenStewartFan for your review! The next chapter will be much longer, and it's almost half done now. I'll try and get it up in a couple days. Let me know what you think so far.

Much Love, Star


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